Professional Reviews For This Wine

A ripe, plush, opulent style, with layers of seductive black cherry, blackberry, plum and spice, with a smooth texture and ripe, mouthcoating tannins accented by a hint of melted chocolate. Drink now through 2012. Tasted twice, with consistent notes. 997 cases made.

Drink Dates:
2004-2012
Author: James Laube

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Wine Advocate | Rating: 91

Those lots deemed not quite up to the standards of the Melbury, Vecina, and St. Eden labels are blended together to form Bonds second wine, The Matriarch. This is a second wine in name only. The complex 1999 The Matriarch displays a deep plum/purple color along with sweet, succulent aromas of smoky oak, lead pencil shavings, and a sexy concoction of chocolate, black currants, and licorice. Drink this rich, medium to full-bodied beauty over the next 10-12 years.

Drink Dates:
2003-2015
Author: Robert Parker

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Collector Reviews For This Wine

Rating: 90
Author:Alexander MichaelTasted On:
03/09/2010Drink Dates: 2010-2012
boozy, eucalyptus, dark cooked berries, both red and black. very heavy on the palate. Still had a great ruby purple colour with some slight rim variation. Drink within the next 2 years.

Average rating: 92, based on
3 reviews

More Vintages and Sizes of Matriarch:

Collector Data For This Wine

962 bottles owned by
310 collectors.

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About This Producer

In his ongoing quest to produce world class wine in the tradition of 1st Growth Bordeaux, Bill Harlan - of Harlan Estate fame - started Bond to create single vineyard wines from sources meeting his high growing standards. Winemaker Robert Levy produces five vineyard designate wines: Melbury, St. Eden, Vecina, Pluribus and Quella, as well as a blend called The Matriarch. Levy's goal is for each wine to take on the unique expression of its vineyard site and Bill Harlan's ultimate plan is to produce wines from a total of 6 unique vineyards. The wines are known for their lush, deeply concentrated flavors, and their elegance and finesse, which Bill and Robert feel define them as the "Grand Crus" of Napa. Fewer than 1,500 cases of the Matriarch, and between 400 and 700 cases of the vineyard designates are produced annually.

Wine Varietal: Bordeaux Blend

Six varieties are permitted to be used in a red Bordeaux blend: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, and, less frequently, Carmenere. Each lends a specific characteristic to the finished blends, most of which are dominated by large percentages of either Cabernet Sauvignon, which brings aromatics and age-ability, or Merlot, which adds softness and body. In the Bordeaux region, Cabernet blends are found on the Left Bank and Merlot on the Right.